


The Longest Quest Ever

by Thotzo



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Body Horror, D&D AU, Eye Horror, Hanzo is a bloodthirsty murder bird, Hanzo is so fucking gay, He just wants to kiss Jesse and kick ass, Implied Sexual Content, Loss of Limbs, M/M, McCree and Hanzo really don't care who dies as long as they find their families, No Left Arms Allowed in this fic, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-22
Updated: 2018-08-22
Packaged: 2019-07-01 04:15:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15766404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thotzo/pseuds/Thotzo
Summary: Really, it should have been a pretty easy quest.  Hanzo just  needed to track down where his brother had been taken, and then save him.It's not his fault that his luck is awful, or that really handsome gunslingers distract him from what he's doing before joining in to help him out in tracking down kidnapped family members.What is a very gay bird to do?





	The Longest Quest Ever

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the McHanzo reverse bang. The art that inspired this is done by the lovely NayruSol42 on Tumblr. [LINK HERE WHEN I GET IT] Check out her art and the rest of the reverse bang pieces!

Hanzo had never had good luck.  Ever since he was a child, his luck tended to be pretty bad.  He’d been born into a rare race that was sometimes hunted for their feathers or bones, he had the misfortune of having a younger brother, his love life never went anywhere no matter how hard he tried.  His life tended to be one string of bad luck after another.  He found himself thinking of this as he fought off yet _another_ bandit.  These guys were like a dime a dozen, apparently.  This time he wasn’t alone, though.  There was another man close enough on the path that he was also attacked.

 

He fired another arrow into the heart of a bandit.  If they were going to interrupt his journey, they could at least be a little challenging.  So far, they hadn’t been even a little bit tough.  He yawned as he set another spelled arrow flying.  His target had fallen right before the arrow had hit him.  Hanzo looked over to the other man fighting-- woah.

 

The other man had some type of metal weapon, which made a loud noise.  It had smoke coming from the end of it.  Hanzo’s eyes traveled up the strange weapon to an arm.  A very large arm.  Huh, that wasn’t the worst.  The arm led to a broad chest and up to a very handsome face.  Hanzo may have been on a rather important mission, but he could appreciate a good view.  And, yeah, this man was a pretty good view.  

 

His clothing was interesting.  He had on some kind of red cloak with no hood, instead a hat was perched on his head.  It was a very...loud hat.  Some might even call it tacky.  Hanzo was pretty sure he had a feathered broach pinned to his hat.  That was quite the statement there.  While the clothing on the man was...less than to be desired, the stranger made up for it by having what might be the prettiest face ever.

 

The man had a smile on his face, even in the heat of battle. The way the tall stranger smiled was inviting, like he wanted to be everyone’s friend.  Those eyes, though.  They told a very different story.  They were half hidden under a hat, but what Hanzo saw in the small glimpses he got was danger.  The smile invited everyone in, but those eyes promised to devour everyone that came close.  Under the hat was wild brown hair that almost begged to have fingers running through it. Hanzo would gladly answer its call, if given the opportunity.  Everything about this strange man with a strange weapon called to him.   Even with the scruffy hair on his face.  Hanzo had a hard time looking away from the other man.  Until the man shot at him.

 

Well, not _at him_ at him.  But at the bandit that had snuck up on Hanzo when he had been...well, staring at the other man.  Hanzo nodded his thanks and fired one last shot infused with fireball.  He watched as the arrow went into the chest of one of the men, and then exploded into a fireball, taking out the last two bandits. He glanced over at the other man, looking for a reaction.

 

“Well, thank ya kindly for the help there, Pumpkin,”  the man said.  The man had an _accent_ , of course he did.  His voice was low and had a slow rhythm to it.  It was mesmerizing. Hanzo could possibly listen to it for days on end.  Even the normally annoying pet name hadn’t bothered him very much. 

 

“It is not a problem, your help was appreciated.”  Hanzo answered.  He tried to remember if he had fixed up his feathers the last time he stopped for the night.   He probably hadn’t.  He was in a hurry.  Why was he in a hurry?  He felt like he had all the time in the world to spend with this stranger.  What was so important that he had rushed out the door this morning?  
  


“O’ course.  I’d best be off now.  Got some business ta attend ta,” the stranger said while tipping his hat towards Hanzo.  The stranger started to turn around.  That’s when Hanzo remembered why he’d rushed out.  Genji.  He needed to save Genji.  How could he possibly have forgotten that? He shook his head, disgusted with himself.  How did he let this happen? All over some strange man?  He gathered up the stuff he had dropped when the fight had happened, trying to pick up some speed to get to Greenwithers.  He might have been running behind already.  Every moment he wasted here was another chance his brother was dead.

 

He hurried; his legs were much weaker than the rest of his body, fucking genetics.  How Tengu made it to this day and age, Hanzo would never know.  He took small, quick steps, hoping to make up for some lost time.  He hurried as fast as his legs would carry him.  He needed to get as much ground covered as he could.  Genji’s life may depend on it.  

 

While he was hurrying, he saw the strange man again.  He had to stay strong.  Genji’s life depended on him being an adult and not a hormone riddled child.  The man seemed to sense him and turned around.

 

“Seriously? Can’t a man go in peace?”  The man asked, his voice sounding a lot less slow and pleasing.  Huh, that was odd.  Hanzo didn’t know what had changed in the past fifteen or so minutes.  At least he could still think clearly. 

 

“I happen to be going this way.”  Hanzo said.  “It is not my fault that we are going the same way”  he went on.

 

“Yeah, sure.  You just happen to be going this way and not following me.”  The strange man scoffed.  “Yer either ‘so in love’ or trying to take me out.  Which is it?  I ain’t got the time for this.”  The man rolled his eyes, now complementing his face less.  This man sounded like he got this a lot.  People following him all the time.  Ah.  That would explain why Hanzo was so captivated earlier. The strange man must have placed a spell on him.

 

“I see.  You are a spellcaster, then?  Making everyone too fascinated to attack?”  While that was a good way to keep one safe, Hanzo would have to be more careful not to fall for such tricks again.   He couldn’t afford to. 

 

“Nah, spells and such ain’t really my game.” The stranger eyed his arrows, “Thinkin’ that’s more your game.”  The other man had seen the effects of what he could do with them.  

 

“Then you naturally enchant people?  You just make others lose their minds around you?”  Hanzo asked, disbelief clear in his voice.

 

“Yup.  Just born like this,” the man stated.  “So, if y’all excuse me.  I got me some things to do.”  The man turned to leave again.  Hanzo rolled his eyes and went on his way.  Unfortunately that happened to be the same way as the strange man.

 

“Really, ya better quit followin’ me ‘fore I get real angry.”  The man growled out. “I got some nasty business and I ain’t afraid of adding more.”  

 

“I don’t know why you think I’m obsessed with you, but I happen to be going to Greenwithers, which is this way.”  Hanzo answered him.

 

“Well, pumpkin, you’re the one that was too busy stairin at me to protect your ass.” The stranger reminded him.  “Either you’re still tryin to get a good peep at me, or you’re huntin me.” 

 

“Or I am going this way as well.”Hanzo shot back.  “Did you ever think of that?  I gave you the name of the town I am going to.  It is this way, check any map.”  And people said that Hanzo was vain.

 

“You might be messin around in my mind, figurin’ out where I’m headed and claiming to go that way too.”The man said in retaliation.  “Lure me into thinkin’ you’re all sweet or somethin, and then drive an arrow through my chest.” 

 

“Why would I do that? I do not even know who you are?  Why would I want to kill you?  Are you planning on forcing me to kill you?” Hanzo thought he had a good point here.  He  wasn't going to hurt the other man if the other man didn’t give him a reason to.  He just wanted to save his brother and go home.  Attractive men with enchanting personalities notwithstanding. 

 

“Forgive me for being skeptical, but I’ve had a few too many close calls in the past to just trust that.”  The man told him, as he started to walk again. 

 

That...was actually kind of fair.  Hanzo had had his share of hunters trying to kill him for some of his body parts.  Or just because they were humans that thought non-humans were somehow lesser.  This stranger must have been not human.  Hanzo would guess at least half, as he didn’t see anything that looked too non-human (unlike Hanzo with his bird-like legs and feathers).  

 

Hanzo walked after him, trying to make his steps a little bit bigger to catch up to the taller man.  If he thought he was going to get the last word, he had another thing coming.  He was about to open his mouth to say something else-- maybe about his choice of attire-- when a tall, lanky woman suddenly appeared in front of the two men.  

 

“Fuck, I really didn’t want this to happen,” The strange man said,.  He reached for his strange metal weapon.  Hanzo would have to find out what kind of weapon that was if the two kept going the same way.   It was fascinating.  Much like the man it belonged to, it didn’t seem real.  It had some kind of otherworldly-ness about it.   Wait, no.  He had to focus.  Her couldn’t get sucked into whatever had happened again.  He had to focus on getting past this woman.  She was clearly a threat to the other man, but maybe he could get past her?  

 

“You do not think you can possibly beat me, do you?”  The woman said, looking at her overly long nails.  They were...were they pointed?  That seemed really inconvenient.  Hopefully she didn’t actually need her hand for anything. She’d never be able to actually use her hand for anything.  He looked her over, trying to figure out what kind of person could have nails that long and sharp.

 

Dark clothing, with red accents.  The mark of Talon on her shoulder.  Well.  That made his job much easier.  Instead of having to track down the Talon headquarters he’d heard about, he could get the information out of this woman, save his brother, and go the fuck home.  He reached for his bow.

 

“Now don’t ya get in this too.  It's not your fight, archer.”  The other man said.  

 

“It is when I wish to take down a member of Talon for information.” Hanzo replied.  He needed an arrow that would stun but not kill.  He needed her alive to get his brother’s location.  After all, how many Tengu could Talon have a hold of?  He didn’t think there could be more than one in Talon’s clutches.   Tengu were pretty rare.  It was hard to believe that anyone else was as careless as his brother could be. 

 

“Oh?  You too?  Well then, would you like the first short, or can I do the honors?” the man in the hat asked, a dangerous smirk on his face.

 

“Oh, after you.” Hanzo replied.  He stepped aside slightly to let the other man raise his weapon.  The man turned his attention back to the lanky woman.

 

“I’m not even a little sorry, Moria.”  He started, “You’ve gone way too far this time.”  That was when he pulled a trigger on his weapon, and a projectile came out.  It was fast, faster than anything Hanzo had seen before.  The ammo came out of the weapon with a loud noise, almost like an explosion, deafening to be next to.  It spoke of power and destruction.  He watched where the woman was, waiting for the small pellet to hit her and see how deadly it really was.  

 

When he turned his head to look at the woman, he saw nothing but black smoke.   What the…? 

 

“Move!”  The strange man barked at him.  Hanzo moved off to the side, watching as the woman seemed to appear out of smoke where he had been standing.   Hanzo didn’t like this.  Shadow stepping was never fun to deal with.  He knew he hadn’t stocked up on any anti-magic arrows.  His dragons, maybe?  No.  They were only good when his target was in front of him and stayed there.  Maybe if he used a thunder arrow?  That had a pretty good range on it, and might be able to hit her.  He grabbed the arrow from his quiver and fired it in her direction.  She chuckled. 

 

The woman, Moria as the other man had called her, dodged again.  Even when the lightening arched, it somehow did not hit her.  How…odd.  Her shadow step did not work like he was used to.  What was he to do with that?  He would have to watch closely when she did it again.  It must have been a different spell, one he did not know.  Hanzo tried to figure out what to do against this woman.  The other man had been shooting at her as well. 

 

“Ya don’t got anything Light, do ya?”  He man asked him.  Hanzo thought through the arrows he had.  He was never really good at Light magic. 

 

“I do not think so, no.”  Hanzo really needed a plan.  Or him and this stranger would die.  He’d never be able to save his brother. 

 

The woman switched to offensive tactics.  Suddenly a large beam of dark smoke flew out of her hand.  Hanzo rolled behind a large rock.  The strange man took cover behind the rock as well. 

 

“Do you have any plan?”  Hanzo asked.  He seemed to know her, maybe he could help with this. 

 

“Kind of,” He admitted.  “I don’t really like the plan, but I’ve got one.” 

 

“Would you like to _share_?”  Hanzo asked when the man stopped talking. 

 

“I’ll bait her, get her focused on me.”  The man said with a frown on his face.  “I’m gonna need ya to shoot her once she’s only paying attention to me.”  Hanzo nodded.

 

“I can make the shot.  As long as she doesn’t do that…odd dodge.” 

 

“She can turn into smoke,” The man explained, peeking out from behind the rock. “It’s a vampire thing.”  He went on. 

 

“It is the middle of the day,” Hanzo pointed out. 

 

“Moria’s half.  A dhampir.”  The other man said.  “She happened to get _that_ gift from her parent.” 

 

“That’s inconvenient.”  Hanzo said, trying to pick out his most damaging arrow.  Dhampir were not common, and he had no idea what kind of weaknesses they had.  Clearly not the sun. 

 

“Yer tellin’ me, pumpkin.”  The strange man said. Hanzo frowned.  “Aim for the heart.  It ain’t gonna kill her, but it’ll cause her the most pain.”  Hanzo nodded.

 

“Don’t call me pumpkin.  I am a bird, not a gourd.”  And that was a thing that Hanzo instantly regretted saying.  With the look that the man gave him, he hadn’t used any kind of charm spell or ability to make Hanzo forget how to speak.  That was all Hanzo.  Why was he like this?  “I…What I mean is that I understand and will aim for the heart.” 

 

“Uh, sure.”  The man blinked at him.  He shook his head, “let’s just go.”  Hanzo nodded, still half refusing to believe he had said that.  The strange man ran out from behind the rock, being loud and getting the woman’s attention.  Hanzo knelt on one knee half behind the rock, his arrow knocked. 

 

Hanzo watched as the other man moved around, dodging and trying to distract her.  She seemed to be taking the bait.  She was focused just on the stranger.  Hanzo took aim and fired an arrow into her back.  It went though her back and based on the small bit of blood that splattered on the stranger’s face, it went though her chest.  Good. 

 

The woman turned, her eyes on him.  She took a step towards him, before yelling out and falling to her hands and knees.  Blood dripped from her mouth.  Hanzo looked toward the stranger.  He had a knife, covered in blood, in his hands.  Good to know he had more than one weapon on him.  He got to his feet, making his way over to the woman.  He would need information. 

 

“You might win this round,” she coughed.  “A small victory, one that will mean nothing soon enough.” 

 

“Shut yer mouth.”  The stranger said.  “I want some answers.”  He scowled down at her. 

 

“You will not be getting them,” she told him.  “Kill me if you must, but I will not tell you what you want.” 

 

Hanzo wanted to know about his brother _now._   He was going to get the information he wanted.  He knocked another arrow, drew back the string, and aimed it at the woman’s face.

 

“You will tell me what I wish to know, or this arrow will go into your eye.”  He threatened.  There was no way that he was going to miss the chance to get some information about Genji.  He needed to find his brother. 

 

“You think that scares me?”  The woman asked him.  “I have been though worse.”  Hanzo looked at the stranger. 

 

“Shoot her.”  He said, catching Hanzo’s eye.  Hanzo nodded and let the arrow fly into her eye.  She shrieked in pain.  Hanzo merely reached for another arrow. 

 

“I’ll take your other eye, too.” Hanzo said.  He drew the bowstring back, taking aim at her other eye.  The woman looked at him with her one eye, the arrow still sticking out from her chest and face.  

 

“One day I will get you back for this,” She told him.  Before Hanzo could react, she turned back into smoke.  The arrows dropping to the ground now that she wasn’t solid.  Hanzo shot into the smoke, but it did nothing.  The smoke rose up, into the sky.  It soon was out of eyesight. 

 

“I should have been quicker.”  Hanzo said.  He needed information.  It just slipped out of his hands, just like that.  What was he supposed to do now? That had been his best chance and he ruined it.  He turned to the stranger again.

 

“Thank you,” He started.  “For the help with the dhampir.”  Hanzo was going have to go to Greenwithers now.  Hopefully his information was correct and he could find a Talon outpost near there.  Get Genji back.  That’s what he needed. 

 

“No problem, sugar.”  He said.  “Off to Greenwithers, then?”  He asked. 

 

“I am not sugar,” Hanzo objected.  “But yes.” 

 

“Want some more help with that?”

 

“I thought you didn’t trust that I was on your side?”  Hanzo asked.  It seemed like a very quick shift of mind.

 

“Had ta trust ya to not shoot me back in the battle,” the stranger pointed out.  “And honestly, no one’s that angry with Talon if they don’t have some kind of personal interest.” 

 

“We did make a good team,” Hanzo said.  He sighed.  This probably would go better if he had help.  “You mentioned that you also had an issue with Talon?  During the fight.”  The man sighed.  He seemed to be in the same boat as Hanzo. 

 

“They got my dad,” the stranger said.  “I’d like to get ‘im back before they do anything too bad to ‘im.”  Ah, so it was a family thing.  He and the stranger really were in the same boat. 

 

“My brother,” Hanzo told the other man.  “We were supposed to meet, he had something important to tell me…but he was taken.”  The man nodded.

 

“Whadda ya say?”  He asked.  “Partners?  Until we find our family?”  The man stuck out his hand.  Hanzo took it.

 

“Yes.  Partners.”  The two of them made a good team.  It would be best for them to work together to find their families. 

 

“The name’s Jesse,” the other man—Jesse—told him.  

 

“I’m Hanzo,” he said. 

 

“Nice to meet ‘cha,” Jesse said.  “If we leave now, we should be to Greenwithers by tomorrow.”  Hanzo nodded, placing his bow on the clip on his back.  Jesse cleaned his knife on his red cloak and placed it at his side.  Hanzo collected the few arrows that did not hit his mark.  It’d be much more useful to have those. 

 

Once everything was collected and in the proper place, the two headed off towards Greenwithers.  It was quiet for awhile.  It was only when the sun started to go down that the two started talking again.  It was mostly just debating where to set up camp for the night.  Once they found a place, they started setting up tents and bedrolls.  Jesse started a fire while Hanzo found some more wood to burn. 

 

“You are very knowledgeable about monsters,” Hanzo said.  “You knew how to take down the dhampir very efficiently.”  Jesse did not look happy. 

 

“Dhampir aren’t monsters,” he told Hanzo.  “Moira is a monster. Not because of her species, but because she’s fucking crazy.” 

 

“Apologies,” Hanzo said.  “I was going to ask how you knew a good way to take her down.  Have you had many interactions with her?” 

 

“Not too many,” Jesse admitted.  He looked conflicted. “I gotta tell ya somethin’.  Yer probably not going to like it.”  Hanzo blinked.  He had no idea what how Jesse could know what would upset him.  They hadn’t known each other that long. 

 

“Alright?”  Hanzo said.

 

“Before we get too deep into this partnership, ya should know what I am.” Jesse said.  “I’m a dhampir.” 

 

“Oh.”  He’d guessed that Jesse was only half human.  He hadn’t guessed dhampir, though.  No wonder Jesse hadn’t liked him saying dhampir were monsters.  He’d have been pissed if someone called all Tengu monsters. 

 

“That it?”  Jesse asked. “Just an ‘oh’?” 

 

“I do apologize for my thoughtless comment,” Hanzo said.  “I should have known better than to call an entire race of people monsters based on one bad one.”  That was something he would really need to work on if he wanted this partnership to work out. 

 

“That’s good ta hear,” Jesse said.  He sounded off guard.  “A few have run off after finding that out.” 

 

“It doesn’t matter to me.  What does matter is if you’re going to help me find my brother.”  Jesse seemed to relax at that. 

 

“Good.”  Jesse said.  “I didn’t wanna have to find a new camp this late at night.”  Jesse looked took out his weapon and started to take it apart.  “You full Tengu?” He asked.

 

“Yes,” Hanzo answered.   He figured he could ask another question.  “Can you turn into smoke as well?”  That’d be pretty useful to know. 

 

“Nope,” Jesse said as he started whipping down a piece of his weapon with a cloth.  “I didn’t get that gift from dad.  I’m…charming.”  He gave Hanzo a smile.  Hanzo noticed that he had fangs.  Four very long sharp fangs. 

 

“Is that how you made me…lose my mind?  When we first met?”  Hanzo asked. 

 

“Yeah.  It takes a bit of energy to do, but I can make people very distracted by me,” Jesse told him.  He didn’t seem very proud of this ability.  “It’s hard to try ta kill someone you’re that into.  Or they get distracted in the battle and someone else can take ‘em out.” 

 

Hanzo nodded. That seemed useful.  “Is there a way to avoid being put under that effect?”  He would need to avoid it if Jesse used it when they were fighting together. 

 

“Ya must have been looking at me when I used it the first time.  It’s a sight thing.”  Jesse told him, his eyes on his weapon. 

 

“Please give me a warning, so I can look away.”  Hanzo said.  He should probably re-charm some arrows while Jesse cleaned his weapon.    He took out his quiver, looking for the arrows that had fading spells on them. 

 

“Can do, partner.”  Jesse said.  “Any special things you gotta tell me?” 

 

“Of a sort, yes.”  Hanzo said.  “I have…protector spirits.”  He added.  “They have the form of dragons and will come to my aid if I call, tearing everything in their path apart.” 

 

“Well then,” Jesse said, turning his attention to Hanzo.  “Might wanna give me a warnin’ before using that.” 

 

“Do not stand in front of me when I shoot.”  Hanzo suggested.  Jesse laughed.

 

“That there is a fair point.”  Hanzo wasn’t sure if Jesse was _trying_ to place a spell on him, but his smile was something else.  Hanzo would like to keep that smile on his face longer.  It was beautiful. 

 

“Can I ask about your weapon?”  Hanzo asked.  “I have not seen anything like it.”  His plan worked.   Jesse kept smiling.  Good. 

 

“It’s a gun,” He told Hanzo.  “It’s not a…very common weapon, but it’s powerful.”  Jesse started explaining how his gun worked.  Hanzo tried to listen carefully about the gun.  He found himself getting lost in Jesse’s voice, wanting to hear more and more of it.  It was beautiful.  So very beautiful. 

 

“So, what ‘bout your arrows?  How does that work?”  Jesse asked after he finished his explanation.  It took Hanzo a moment to realize that Jesse was asking him a question.  He shook himself out of his stupor and answered Jesse’s question. 

 

He spoke about his arrows and his magic.  He told Jesse about his guardians and how his brother used to wish he had two dragons as well, until he saw how much it hurt having two.  He got caught up in himself and told Jesse about how much he missed Genji, and even though Genji could be annoying, he was still Hanzo’s baby brother. 

 

Jesse told a story about his father and a portrait that was painted of him.  Jesse told him about growing up with his dramatic father.  How much he missed his dad, and that he hoped his dad was safe. 

 

The two talked until it was late.  It was only when they were both yawning twice a sentence that they decided to go to sleep.  Hanzo bid Jesse a good night, and went to his tent.  He fell asleep easily, dreaming of a fanged smile.

 

\--------

 

The morning could fuck off, Hanzo thought, trying to arrange his travel pillow over his head.  Yes, it was important to find Genji, but he sure as hell hated early morning sun.  He groaned, hearing Jesse moving around camp.  He was going to have to get up and face the day soon enough.  He sighed before moving his pillow.  He slowly sat up, groaning loudly. 

 

“Not an early bird, huh?”  Jesse called from outside.  He didn’t sound tired at all.  How was that fair? 

 

“Mornings were created just to torment me.”  Hanzo yelled back. 

 

“No worms for you, then.”  Jesse responded.  Hanzo let out another groan. 

 

“That was horrible, Jesse.”  He said.  Hanzo would forever regret calling himself a bird in front of Jesse. He was never going to live it down, was he? 

 

“I do have breakfast, if you want some.”  Jesse commented. 

 

“You are less horrible.”  Hanzo said, as he got up.  Food did sound good. He left the tent, walking to the small fire that had replaced last night’s fire.  Jesse handed him a bowl. 

 

“Eat up.  After you’re done we can head to Greenwither and see what we can find.”  Hanzo nodded, eating quickly.  Jesse started to pack up camp, rolling up the bedding and tents.  He put out the fire and started cleaning the already used dishes.  Hanzo handed him the bowl when he was done eating.  Jesse gave it a quick wash, and then they were on their way. 

 

The road to Greenwither was clear; they did not run into any more trouble as they approached.  When they got to the town everything seemed normal.    There we no obvious ‘talon is totally here!’ signs.  There were no stalls selling parts of rare creatures.  The strangest things in town seemed to be the cowboy dhampir and the angry tengu walking around asking questions. 

  
“This is useless,” Hanzo said after a few hours of looking around.  “Our information was incorrect.”  This was complete bullshit.  While they were wasting time, Genji was probably suffering. 

 

“Hold yer horses, there might still be something here,” Jesse said, looking around for a building they had yet to check out. 

 

“We have checked everywhere,” Hanzo said.  “We have asked everyone that could feasibly know something.”  They had no new clues about where to go from here.  They had no confirmed Talon locations or members.  They had nothing.  Hanzo had no idea what to do from this point.

 

“Why don’t we look in less…rational places, then?”  Jesse suggested. “Ask some people that don’t seem like they’d know.  Might get us somewhere.” Jesse glanced around again.  He apparently saw something and started walking towards a woman in armor.  Hanzo followed after, wondering why Jesse picked her. 

 

“Howdy!”  Jesse said, tipping his hat at the woman.  She was much younger than she looked from far away.  She was as tall as Jesse, with heavy metal armor on.  Her faceplate was lifted on top of her helmet showing off her elven face, and she carried a large flail, a lion faced shield sat by her feet.  What could be seen of her hair was red.  The woman was…unusually shaped.  She had the face and height of an elf, but her build was wrong for it.  She was _large_.  Thick arms and legs, a large torso, almost as if someone had stretched a dwarf to an elf’s height while keeping the stockiness that dwarves were known for. 

 

“Hello!”  The woman said nodding to Jesse.  “Can I help you with something?” 

 

“I sure hope so!”  Jesse said.  “We’re on a…quest of sorts.  You look like you’d know something about questing.”  The woman laughed, it was loud. 

 

“I do know quite a bit about quests.  I was a squire to a roaming knight for years, after all!”  She grinned moving the flail to rest on her shoulder. 

 

“I’ll be honest,” Jesse started.  “We’re lookin’ for a Talon base we heard was around here.”  He gestured to Hanzo, “they’ve taken something from both of us, and we’d like it back.” 

 

“A fine goal!”  She said.  “My partner and I were going there as well,” she admitted.  “She is unhappy with how they treat some creatures.  I am sure she would not mind having some extra hands.” 

 

“That would be wonderful,” Hanzo said.  Having even more extra hands would help him get to Genji faster.  Him befriending one other man was now getting him a whole party to help take down this base and get his brother back.  Hanzo could not believe how his luck was turning. Maybe his normally bad luck was getting better.

 

“I am Brigitte.  My partner, Hana, is gathering supplies.”  Brigitte informed the two. 

 

“Nice to meet ya.  I’m Jesse.  This here is Hanzo.”  Hanzo gave a small bow to the knight when he was introduced.   


“Well met,” she said.  “It was difficult to find the location.  I am glad that Hana is good at getting information.”  The woman laughed.  “Do not let her appearance fool you; she is _terrifying_ if she is not your friend.” 

 

“I can understand that,” Hanzo said.  “Several times people have made the mistake of underestimating me based on appearance.”  Brigitte laughed. 

 

“Now what’s so funny?”  A voice asked.  Hanzo turned to see who had addressed them. 

 

Brigitte was large and intimidating, both large and beautiful.  This woman was not.  She was shorter, the shortest in the group.  She just seemed small, for the most part.  She was short, thinner, and had no armor.  Her size was not helped by the large fox ears that sat on her head.  Nor was it helped by the three tails that were able to be seen.  Hanzo guessed she was a kitsune—a young one based on the tails. 

 

What was large and intimidating was the dire wolf that was following behind her.  That was actually really nerve racking.  Hanzo was less of a fan of the large dire wolf.  Brigitte didn’t seem to be shocked by the huge-fucking-wolf that was just there. 

“Hana!”  Brigitte grinned.  She set the flail down on her shield and approached the other woman.  She pulled the smaller woman into a hug.  The smaller woman laughed.

“You just saw me!”  While the girls laughed, the wolf approached him and Jesse.  Jesse didn’t seem to mind the wolf.  Hanzo thought everyone was crazy.  There was a dire wolf just sniffing at Jesse.  How was the other man so calm? 

“Well hey there, buddy.”  Jesse said, holding his hand out to the wolf.  “How ya doin’?”  he asked it.  The wolf growled.  Hanzo reached to pull Jesse away from the wolf.  Before he could, Jesse chuckled.

“Defensive, huh?”  He asked.  “Don’t you worry none, darlin’, we ain’t gonna hurt your pack.”  He placated the wolf.  The wolf seemed to _understand_ and backed off.  Hanzo looked at Jesse.

“How’d you do that?”  He had to know. 

“I’m good with a few critters,” Jesse told him with a shrug.  “It don’t come in handy much, but every now and then I run into something that I got a way with.” 

“Amazing,” Hanzo said.  He wanted to ask what kind of creatures that Jesse was good with. 

“It actually is,” Hana said, interrupting their conversation. “Meka doesn’t normally listen to others.”  She had her arms crossed over her chest, her foot tapping.  Her whiskers twitched. 

“Sorry bout that,” Jesse said.  “I get it from my dad.  He was pretty good with some certain critters too.” 

“Uh-huh,” Hana said.  She was still smiling, which was better for them.  She didn’t seem too annoyed that Jesse could apparently talk to her wolf. 

“Anyway,” Hana started.  “Brigitte said you’re interested in helping us out with freeing the dire wolves.” 

“That what we’re doin’?”  Jesse asked.  “We were looking for other captives, but we can help with the wolves too.  We think they’re at this Talon base too.” 

“Probably,” Hana said.  “From what I’ve found out Talon is keeping a lot of people prisoner at this base.” 

“Do you already have a plan?”  Hanzo asked, “Or should we discuss this over a drink or a meal?”  The quicker they made a plan, the quicker they could save everyone. 

“We should get some food and drink and plan.”  Brigitte cut in.  “Let’s go!”  Jesse nodded and followed after.  Hana and Hanzo walked after the other two. 

“I have not met a kitsune before,” Hanzo tried to make conversation while ignoring the dire wolf. 

“You still haven’t,” Hana told him.  “I’m Kumiho, kind of a cousin to kitsune.  Almost the same thing, but not quite.”  Her ear twitched. 

“Ah.  I see.  I was unaware there were other mulit-tailed fox creatures in the world.”  Hanzo admitted. 

“Most people don’t,” Hana said.  “We all get lumped under kitsune.  There are only a few differences, to be honest.”  Hana started telling him the differences between kitsune and kumiho as they walked.  They followed after their partners until they reached a tavern.  Now they could sit down and make a plan to save everyone.  This would work out.  It would.

 

\------

 

The plan had been simple.  Hana would send in her wolf, Brigitte would use her shield to protect Jesse and Hanzo while they took out Talon members.  It was a very simple, but effective plan.  It should have been foolproof. 

Sadly, nothing could ever go right for Hanzo.  If things went right for Hanzo, the world would probably explode.  If things went right for Hanzo even once, the sun would probably stop and then the world would die of forever winter.  If things went right for Hanzo then the entire planet would just crumble.  Because nothing was _ever_ allowed to go right for him.

They got to the base, where Hana’s wolf tripped over a fucking rock.  Causing all sorts of alarms to go off.  That meant that instead of having less talon grunts to fight, they had more.  No wolf to eat them, after all.  Then Brigitte’s shield broke.  It took a nasty hit from a very large man with a very large axe.  She was saved by Jesse throwing a thunder crystal in the man’s eyes to distract him. 

Hanzo was very done with the day.  He took a deep breath and grabbed his dragon arrow.  No one in his party was in front of him.  He aimed the arrow for the largest cluster of enemies and called to the dragon.  He fired the arrow as he yelled, the dragons spiraling to surrounding the arrow with their light. Thunder boomed, lightning crackled.  The dragons roared. 

The smell of burning flesh filled the air as the dragons ate their fill.  Hanzo watched as they took out the largest wave of fighters.   He felt eyes on him while the dragons ate.  Once full, they disappeared.  He turned to face the eyes on him while they had a moment of respite. 

“What was that?”  Hana asked.  “It was crazy.  Can you do it again?” 

“Not for awhile,” Hanzo admitted.  “It takes quite a bit of magic to bring them into a physical form.”  He was going to need to be careful for awhile.  He was very close to over exerting himself. 

“Right, well, let’s get moving,” Hana said.  She walked over to the dire wolf and climbed on.  Brigitte joined her on the wolf’s back.  “Are you two coming?”  She asked when they didn’t move towards the wolf. 

Jesse and Hanzo looked at each other.  Hanzo had never ridden on a dire wolf and based on Jesse’s expression, neither had he.  Jesse shrugged at Hanzo and started walking toward the wolf.  Hanzo sighed and joined them.  Might as well. 

The wolf ran fast and wild.  It was difficult to hold on without pulling on fur.  Hanzo ended up holding on to Jesse’s waist.  How he was staying on Hanzo would never know.  Even though they were about to go into another battle, Hanzo couldn’t help but feel warm holding onto Jesse.  He just wanted to bury his face into the other man’s back and stay there for awhile. 

The ride was over too soon, as they stopped in front of a cage of creatures.  Hana quickly jumped off, more used to the wolf.  Brigitte did not have much trouble getting off the wolf either.  Hanzo and Jesse…well, they had a lot more trouble.  It was not easy to get off a dire wolf without pulling out some fur.  Neither of them wanted to deal with that. 

After falling off the dire wolf they joined Hana and Brigitte in trying to break the fence.  Hanzo could see a lot of other wolves as well as wolf like creatures.  He didn’t see Genji or any other tengu.  He hoped there were more prisoners elsewhere.  He needed to find Genji.  He need to save his stupid brother. 

“I’m going to check ahead,” Hanzo said, readying his bow. 

“I’ll go with, if you gals are okay with that.”  Jesse asked the other two.

“Yes, go!  We have this!”  Brigitte told them, swinging her mace at the gate that held the dire wolves. 

Jesse and Hanzo took off running towards the building that the talon grunts had run out of.  They looked though rooms, looking for any trace of people.  They found other talon grunts.  They were quickly taken out.  They had yet to see any more creatures or other races of people.  Hanzo threw open doors, firing arrows into anyone wearing talon armor.  Genji wasn’t there.  He couldn’t find him. 

“I take it you didn’t find yer brother?”  Jesse asked.  Hanzo shook his head.  “Yeah, I didn’t find my dad either.”  He sighed. 

“What do we do now?”  Hanzo asked.  This had been his last real hope to find Genji. 

“Look around, see if we can find any kind of clue of where they might be keeping other people.  Ask around the other captives see if they know of anything else.”  The two of them checked the rooms they had cleared.  Looking for maps or any kind of letters or other documents that might tell them where their missing family was. 

The current room had nothing.  No documents or letters or even a map.  Nothing but corpses of talon members.  Hanzo turned to leave, but was blocked by someone new standing in the doorway. 

A woman made of ice was standing in the doorway.  She held a crossbow in her hand, looking at the two of them with a smirk on her face.

“What’s this?” she asked with the air of someone that knew exactly what they were talking about.  She leaned against the doorway.  “It looks like a couple of trespassers.  Whatever should I do with you?” 

Hanzo pointed his bow at the woman, “you will do nothing to us.” He would not be taken down by one woman that seemed to be made of ice.  He still had a fire arrow left.  He could take her down. 

“Oh calm down,” the woman said, rolling her eyes.  “You are as much of a drag as your brother says.” 

Hanzo pulled the string tighter.  This woman could lead him to Genji!  “You will tell me where he is!”  He had to get this woman to tell him.  He just had to. 

The woman shrugged, “sure.  Do something for me first, and I’ll tell you where to find him _and_ the vampire.”  She looked to Jesse.  “Your dad, right?” 

“How do we know we should trust ya?”  Jesse asked.  He had a good point.  Some woman just appeared in the doorway with all the information they needed and she was willing to give it? 

The woman in the doorway sighed.  “I was trying to take this down from the inside to get my girlfriend out.”  Her face flashed with anger before going back to the forced calm she had on.  “I’ve gotten myself too deep to get out with her.  If you help me get her out, I’ll give you the location you want.” 

Hanzo thought about it.  The base hadn’t offered them any other clues, so this was going to be their best bet.  Who knew if this woman could be trusted, but if all else failed, he and Jesse could probably take her.  “Fine.  Who are we looking for?” 

“Her name is Satya.  She’s a dragon.”  The woman said. “She’s being held in a Talon outpost just south of Holmfirth.”  She reached into a bag on her hip and pulled out a map.  “It’s marked on here.” 

“Holmfirth is gonna take a month or two to get to,” Jesse pointed out.  “There’s no way we can make it there before something bad happens to our families.” 

The woman rolled her eyes again.  “Hello, that is where I come in.”  She mumbled in another language.  It sounded like insults.  “I will keep your brother and father safe while you rescue Satya.”  She crossed her arms over her chest, letting the small hand crossbow hang loosely in one hand. 

Jesse looked over to Hanzo.  Hanzo just nodded.  They didn’t have much of a choice in the matter. 

“Where should we bring your dragon when we have found her?”  Hanzo asked. 

“There’s a town next to Holmfirth.  Myrefall.  There’s a tavern there, ask for Sombra.”  She handed the map over to Jesse.  “I’ll see you then.”  Suddenly she vanished into thin air. 

Looks like their adventure was just starting.

 

\-----------------------------

 

They had been on the road for several months at this point.  It was battle after battle.  Puzzle after puzzle, trying to get to the talon outpost to rescue Sombra’s dragon.  They were only a few hours away from Holmfirth. 

They set up camp for the night, hoping that tomorrow they’d finally be lead to their goal. Hanzo looked over the fire at his companion.  The amount of shit they’d been through in the past few months was amazing.  The creatures they’d faced, the puzzles they’d solved, even the talon members they faced.  All of that lead to here, hopefully about to finally find their families.  They’d free Jesse’s father and his brother then the two of them (maybe three or four) would go off on their next adventure.  It was hard to picture anything else.  It felt like they’d been friends for years, not just months.  Whatever adventure was next, Hanzo was sure it’d be the two of them together.

He watched as Jesse took out his gun to start cleaning it.  This was a pretty normal activity for when the two stopped for the night.  They’d make a fire, start cleaning weapons, fixing what needed fixed, have some food, then sleep for the next day.  Hanzo knew it well, it was their normal routine. Hanzo glanced over at Jesse, who was focused solely on his gun.  Hanzo couldn’t help the smile that crept over his face.  Even with all the danger he knew they could be in, even with his brother needing saved, it felt...right.  Like something had finally slotted into place.

Hanzo hadn’t been aware he could be as happy as he currently was.  He watched as the light from the fire reflected off the gun and into Jesse’s eyes.  His eyes were such a bright brown, showing care to the trusted weapon in his lap.  They seemed to dance in the dim light of the fire.  The amount of life he showed in his eyes was amazing.  The amount of excitement he brought into Hanzo’s life… it was spectacular.  Hanzo didn’t think his face could even smile as big as he knew he had to be.  He’d never been able to before this crazy adventure, it was astounding. 

Jesse had put the same amount of love and care into all of his gear.  The leather armor, the sarape, the silly hat with the silly broach.  Even just sitting near the other man, Hanzo felt cared for.  It was the little things Jesse would do; the small actions Jesse would take.  It showed just how much he cared about everything, including Hanzo himself.  

It was strange, to Hanzo, that this strangely dressed man could make him feel so much.  Looking at Jesse now, he felt grounded.  Like all was okay in the world; and if it wasn’t they could make it okay together.   He felt like he was falling and flying at the same time.  He felt like he could have the wings of his ancestors and take flight with how he felt.  He could grab the moon, the stars, fly to the sun and fight it.  He’d win too, because he knew he had backup.  Strangely dressed, beautiful, backup.  

This should scare him.  It should terrify him.  Hanzo knew that, but...how could he be scared?  The man that was sitting across the fire from him shined as bright as the moon and stars.  He was the ground that held Hanzo up, the sun that gave of heat, the bright oceans.  Jesse made him feel in ways he’d never felt before.  Hanzo shut his eyes, trying to place how he felt.  It was so odd, to have these feelings.  He had never found himself an emotional individual, but now...now these emotions were filling him up, making him fly.  They weren’t a raging storm, as he’d often read emotions being represented in stories.  These feelings were a warm blanket, wrapped around him and keeping him safe and warm.  It felt like hot tea on a cold winter’s night.  Warmth.

It felt like...like love.

Ah.  He was in love.  That...that made sense.  It felt like something clicking into place in his heart.  Putting a name to these feelings made them extremely real.  He opened his eyes again, looking over to Jesse putting his gun back together.  Yes, love sounded right.  He loved the other man.  He loved Jesse.  He loved the silly dhampir that dressed like a cowboy.  He loved the silly clothing.  He loved the hat.  He loved the humor.  He loved Jesse. 

Calm washed over him, at that thought.  How could he not love the other man?  He knew he must look like a fool, his face was going to hurt from the smile he knew he had.  He couldn’t find it in himself to care about that.  He was in love.  He understood now.  Why people would do so much for those they loved.  

“Ya okay over there?”  Jesse asked, finally finished with his gun.  The other man smiled at him, flashing sharp fangs.  

Should he tell Jesse how he felt?  It made him feel amazing, but rejection would feel less amazing.  He felt his face fall. Jesse was his friend, and liked him well enough. If he told the other how he felt, the other would probably not mind, persay.  It might be a bit awkward for a while, but they were adults.  They would be okay.  Probably.  Maybe?

“Hanzo?  Ya good?”  Jesse asked again when he didn’t get an answer.  

“Yes.  I am...thinking,” He answered.

“Must be purty serious to make ya make that face, there.”  The dhampir said.  “If ya wanna share, I’m all ears.” 

Did Hanzo want to share?  Jesse had never been very mean spirited (other than when they first met, but that was a different story) toward him.  He could tell Jesse.  He should tell Jesse.  If he never told the other man, how could he expect anything to happen?  He smiled again and stood up.  

“I believe I want to share, yes,” Hanzo said as he walked around to sit next to Jesse.  “I have come to the realization that I love you.”  Hanzo watched Jesse blink.  Once.  Twice.  Three times.  After a few moments, Jesse’s lazy smile expanded to a large, full fanged, smile.

“Why sweetheart, that’s the best news I heard all week.”  Jesse reached out and pulled Hanzo closer.  Hanzo’s arms got caught between their bodies as he moved his legs so he didn’t fall on Jesse.  “I’m mighty sweet on ya, as well.” 

“That is good news,” Hanzo laughed.  The flying and falling feeling came back full force.  This was good.  He wiggled his arms to free one hand so he could place it on Jesse’s face.  His skin was so warm, especially for a dhampir.  Jesse seemed to know what Hanzo wanted, and started to lean close to him.  Hanzo placed his hand over Jesse’s mouth before he got too close.

“Ah, I apologize, Jesse,” Hanzo started, a sheepish smile on his face, “but before I kiss you...should I be careful of your fangs?” Jesse’s face did a complete turnaround at Hanzo’s question.  

“I ain’t got venom like a full vampire, but my fangs are kinda sharp,” He answered. “That gonna be an issue?”  The way that Jesse asked sounded like it had been a problem for some in the past.  

“Not at all.  I just wanted to check,” Hanzo had to problem with Jesse’s fangs.  They were a part of this man that he loved.  So what if Jesse was a little pointy?  He was still the guy that gave Hanzo all those feelings.  “Now, may I?”  That seemed to put the smile back on Jesse’s face.

“I’d love that, honeybee.”  Jesse’s smile was almost blinding.  Hanzo thought it was best to cover that up, for the safety of everyone. Can’t have anyone going blind because of the charming smile.  He quickly pressed his lips against Jesse’s. 

Hanzo shut his eyes as he kissed the other man.  They moved against each other, learning the feeling of the other set of lips.  As sweet as this kiss was, Hanzo wanted more.  He wanted to taste Jesse, figure out if the man would taste of smoke and blood or if he’d taste of something uniquely Jesse.  He wanted to get his tongue on those fangs and see how dangerous they really were.  He wanted to run his fingers though the other man’s hair.  He needed it. 

He tried to go deeper, to kiss harder.  Jesse pulled away before he could.  Hanzo tried to chase after, not ready to stop the kiss.  He frowned when Jesse started to laugh. 

“Might wanna slow down a bit there, honeybee.” Jesse said.  “I ain’t lying when I say my teeth are sharp.” 

“Why would you say that and expect me to slow down?”  Hanzo asked.  Yep, there was him saying something fucking weird again.  He, once again, wondered why he was this way.  He hated it about himself sometimes.  That was probably something he should not have said out loud. 

Jesse appeared to be speechless.  He looked at Hanzo in awe.  “Ya mean that?”  He eventually asked.  Hanzo could only nod.  He was then pulled back into another kiss, this one deep and promising. 

 

\--------

 

The morning led to the discovery that sharing a bedroll and tent was much warmer than using separate ones.  Hanzo nuzzled his face into the back of Jesse’s neck.  He kissed at a mark left on the dhampir’s shoulder.  He wished that the two could stay like this forever.  He knew they needed to finish their rescue mission today.  Then they could start their next rescue mission.  He ran his arm up and down Jesse’s, trying to wake him up. 

“My love,” he whispered.  “It is time to start the day.”  Jesse grumbled, grabbing Hanzo’s arm and trying to pull it over himself like a blanket.  Hanzo had to suppress the urge to laugh.  “Jesse, that is my arm.”  He informed the sleeping man.  Hanzo tried to pull his arm back.  Jesse stubbornly held on. 

“No.  Five more minutes.”  He argued.  Hanzo laughed again.

“Sorry, but we really need to get to Holmfirth.”  Hanzo finally got his arm away from Jesse and sat up.  Jesse pushed himself up to sitting as well. 

“Yeah yeah, just give me five to wake up,” he said, yawning.  Hanzo nodded and got up to gather clothing and get dressed for a rescue mission.  Today was the day they saved a prisoner so they could find the location of their families.  Then they would be on the way to rescue Genji and Jesse’s dad.  Finally. 

He got dressed and left Jesse to finding his own clothing.  He grabbed some bread for a quick breakfast.  They’d need to eat while they located the base.  Hanzo wanted to get this done quickly.  He needed to get this done as quickly as possible.  After a few bites of bread, Jesse joined him.  The two ate while they packed up camp to get back on the road.  They cleaned up their camp and headed off though the town. 

They gathered the few supplies they were going to need for this mission and headed south.  The map led them to a large set of buildings that had guards at all the doors. 

“Alright, sweetheart, if you can distract ‘em, I can take ‘em out pretty fast.”  Jesse said with a dark gleam in his eye.  Hanzo grinned.  He loved that look, and was excited to see what his lover was going to do. 

“It will be my pleasure, dearest one.”  Hanzo took out one of his prismatic arrows.  He fired it near the buildings, letting it explode on the ground.  A large explosion of colors came from the arrow head.  Several of the guards looked over at the explosion.  Most of them came running over to see what had happened. 

“Very nice, apple dumpling.”  Jesse commented.  He pulled out his gun and took aim.  “Now, I think it’s about High Noon,” he said.  He fired quicker than Hanzo’s eyes could follow.  Hanzo knew that his partner’s gun only held six shots.  He _knew_ that.  But this time Jesse shot and there were way more than six bodies lying where Hanzo’s arrow struck.  Hanzo had never been more in love in his life. 

“That.  That was amazing,” he said to his partner.  He would need to know how Jesse did that.  He just needed to know. 

“Thanks, honeybee.”  Jesse said.  “Now, let’s get down there and see about breaking a dragon girl outta here.”

The two of them walked towards the buildings, taking out any guards that they missed with their big shots.  They entered the buildings, looking for anywhere they were holding prisoners.  They found several different people, most missing some kind of body part.  Wingless bird creatures, catfolk without their claws, footless rabbit people.  The two tried to help as many as they could as quickly as they could.  These people had families too, after all.

They finally found a dragon woman.  She had most of her red scales and small wings folded around her waist.  She looked at them with determination and fight in her eyes even though her left arm had been removed at the shoulder.  There was a hastily wrapped bandage over her shoulder

“And you are?”  She asked. 

“Sombra sent us,” Hanzo told her.  “She wanted us to get you out of here.” 

Jesse nodded, “she offered us a deal.  You for information about our families; no need to ask what we’re getting out of this.” 

Satya blinked.  “I was going to ask that, but I suppose I don’t need to now.”  She walked to the now open door, “let’s go, then.”  She walked out the door and joined the two men. 

“Y’all right, let’s get ya out of here,” Jesse said, placing his gun in front of him for defense.  The three walked quietly though the buildings.  Retracing their steps and hoping that no reinforcements had been called. 

Hanzo should have known better than to hope. 

They ran into several talon soldiers.  Because that was Hanzo’s life, wasn’t it?  He had one very nice thing, so something else had to go wrong.  The hallway in front of them was filled.  Jesse took up a defensive stance in front of Satya. She had no weapon and was down an arm, there was no way she was going to be able to do much in this fight.  Not at this point.  Hanzo picked an arrow from his quiver, hoping he could take out a bunch with just one or two spells. He was much too tired to summon his dragons right now.

He had to make sure he didn’t set the building on fire.  Escaping from a building filled with soldiers was tough.  Escaping from a burning building filled with soldiers was even tougher.  He picked a water summoning arrow.  Perhaps if he shot it into their chest, their lungs would fill with water?  Yes.  That would work.   That would take awhile, but if he shot the right people it might work.  He just needed to make everyone distracted so they could get out safely.  Filling someone up with so much water it bubbled out of their mouths would probably work.

He lined up his shot, hoping to get the arrow right where he needed.  He took a breath and fired.  The arrow hit the Talon member in the chest.  The spell worked how Hanzo had wanted.  The man started choking on water, which came out his mouth.  Several of his comrades watched in horror as he died from both the arrow wound and the water in his lungs.  Hanzo got ready to fire a second shot. He just needed to distract everyone so they could make a break for it.  That’s all he needed to do.  A thundering noise stopped him from firing his next arrow straight. 

From the back of the crowd of Talon soldiers came a…creature of some sort.  Hanzo had never seen one before.  It had teeth the size of his forearm set into some sort of snout.  It looked like it could bite though metal.  And before he knew it, it was rushing right at him.  Hanzo froze.  This creature was _terrifying_.  He wasn’t sure he could move.  He was dead.  There was no way he was going to survive this one.  He wished he could apologize to Genji.  He’d never get to save his brother.  He’d just started this new relationship, and it was about to be over. 

Hanzo had been prepared to be torn apart by some sort of mutated creature.  He was not sure how he went from being frozen facing the creature, to being on the floor with no pieces missing.  He looked at where he had been standing.  There was Jesse.  Oh.  Jesse had pushed him out of the way. Oh.  He saw one of Jesse’s arms in the creature’s mouth.  His other arm had the gun set against the creature’s chest.  Hanzo heard the gunshot first, and then he heard Jesse’s scream. 

The creature fell onto the ground.  Half an arm sticking out of its mouth.  Oh.  Oh no.  Hanzo suddenly felt like he could move again now that the creature was dead.  He rushed to Jesse’s side, wishing he’d actually studied more healing magic.  The lower half of Jesse’s left arm was no longer attached to Jesse’s body. 

“Hey there, Honeybee.”  Jesse tried to be charming.  “How’s it goin?” 

“Stop talking.”  Hanzo commanded.  Jesse was going to need his strength.  How dare talon do this? How _dare_ they?  Hanzo would not let this go.  Energy be damned, they would all die.  He pulled out his summon arrow, using his rage to fuel his spell.  He drew back the arrow, and let the dragons fly. They would all perish. 

\-------

If someone were to ask Hanzo how he got both Jesse and Satya to the next town over and to Sombra, he wouldn’t be able to tell.  It was like he was on auto pilot.  He had been working purely on the need to get Jesse to a doctor.  Once they were in the next town, Sombra took over.  Commanding and using connections to help both Satya and Jesse with their wounds. 

Satya had been fitted with a prosthetic arm very quickly.  Sombra had promised she would get one for Jesse as well, as an extra bit of payment for bringing Satya back to her. 

It was a week of waiting before he was able to see Jesse again.  A week of waiting and wondering if he’d lose both Jesse and Genji because of this.  He didn’t know why he froze up.  Something about that creature made him just stop.  He wondered if the creature had some sort of terror effect.  Probably, it was monstrous.  After a long week of waiting, he was finally able to see Jesse again.

He walked into the recovery room, ready to see Jesse again.  He had a gift for Jesse in his hands.  

“Hey Hanzo, mind lending me a hand?  I’m short one.”  Jesse had the biggest grin on his face, as if he’d planned the first thing he said very carefully. 

Hanzo walked back out of the room.

“Hey!  No! come back!”  Jesse called.  He was trying not to laugh.  Hanzo shook his head, his Jesse was something else.  He turned and walked back in.

“It is good to see you in such high spirits,” He looked over Jesse.  One flesh arm, one made of the finest metal that Sombra could get her hands on.  Fully functioning robotics.  “How are you feeling?”

“Oh, you know.  I’m all-right.”  Jesse said, raising his right hand.  Hanzo had to wonder if Jesse had been given too much of whatever he was given for pain. 

“I see,” he said.  He might as well play along.  “I take it your other hand has _left_?”  He tried to make his voice as deadpan as he could.   Jesse looked at him, stars in his eyes.

“Honeybee…I love you so much.” 

“I love you too, Jesse.”   Hanzo told him.  He leaned down and rested his forehead against Jesse’s.  This felt right.  He knew that this was going to be it for him.  No one was going to be able to replace Jesse in his heart.  “I have a gift for you.”  This was a stupid family tradition, but he just needed to do this. 

“Oh? “ He asked.  “Is it you?  I hope it’s you.” 

Hanzo laughed.  “Not right now, you’re still healing.  Just…here.”  He placed the wrapped parcel in Jesse’s hand.  Jesse raised an eyebrow.

“I gotta test out my new hand to open it, then?”  He moved the metal hand over with a small twitch of pain.  He opened the cloth that was covering the gift.  Jesse looked at the blue stone in his hand.  It was flat and smooth.  It was blue, with darker blue spots.  Jesse looked at it and then looked at Hanzo. “Uh, thanks buttercup.” 

“I know it seems odd,” Hanzo told him.  “It is…important to me.  I want you to have it.”  This was stupid, but it felt right to Hanzo. 

“I’ll keep it safe for ya, yeah.”  Jesse said, reaching out to hold his hand.  Hanzo gave the other man’s hand a squeeze. 

Yeah, this was perfect.

\---------------------

 Sombra gave them the location of their families.  Both Jesse’s father and his brother were being held in a small town called Taewe.  It was a good month away by foot.  The two set out as soon as Jesse was cleared to leave.  The first few weeks was spent getting Jesse used to his new arm.  The closer they got to Taewe, the more hoards of creatures they had to fight.

`They stood back to back, surrounded by all types of creatures.  Jesse had used the last of his thunder crystals and Hanzo was having trouble remembering most of his spells-- not to mention that his quiver was looking very thin at the moment.  He and Jesse would have to be creative if they wanted to get out of this alive.  It might have been time to pull out their most powerful attacks. 

Hanzo released another arrow, hitting a Talon Hybrid creature between the eyes.  A good shot, but not doing much with how many creatures there were.  He took a deep breath, feeling for the dragons he summoned for protection.  They could take out a good chunk of the strange creatures, he was sure of it.  He knew that Jesse could take out the rest if he used one of his tricks. The two of them were a force to be reckoned with now that they were on the same page.  It felt like there was no one that could get anywhere near as much power as them together. 

He felt the dragons connect to him, ready for a meal made of their enemies.  Hanzo couldn’t help but grin.  It was always exhilarating, releasing the dragons. He shot off another arrow and looked behind him to Jesse.  

“My love, think we might need to use something special to take all of these creatures out.”  He saw Jesse’s mouth grow into a lazy smirk.

“Why, sugarplum, I was just thinking the same thing.”  Jesse quickly reloaded his gun, getting it ready to take out several creatures in the blink of an eye.  “I think it’s time for lunch, yeah?” 

“Lunch?”  That was rather odd for the gunslinger to say.

“Yeah, I’m guessing your dragons are ready to consume them?” Jesse said, with a full fanged smile.  Hanzo had to laugh.

“Yes, I suppose it is High Noon, after all”  Jesse joined him laughing as he started firing.  At the first gunshot, Hanzo let his dragons fly. 

Hanzo seemed to glow with blue lightning, bright and wild. The blue crackled from his bow to the ground, striking with a  powerful noise that seemed to be an echo of the gunshots that came from his other side.  Behind him there was a warm red and yellow that seemed to encase the other man.  It was less wild, more of a soft glow that covered the wild man.  Such a strange concept, that the more loud and wild Jesse would produce such a soft and stable glow.  As strange as the normally put together Hanzo putting out such a wild pattern of lightning.

They’d both used these special powers before, but this seemed different.  Rather than just being two people using their powers at the same time, it seemed as if they were one unit.  The wild blue and soft red met in the middle, seeming to melt into a strong purple.  There was no way there was any purple, after all, these glows couldn’t mix (could they?), but Hanzo could swear he could see purple out of the corner of his eye.  It felt amazing.

It felt like it was over too soon, the lights faded.  The strong and beautiful purple faded, his own wild blue went away, and the soft red vanished.  The warmth was still there. Even though the dragons and the light faded, Hanzo still felt the energy in his body.  He felt jittery, even as he saw the carnage all around them. 

“Well, looks like them dragons are sated,” Jesse joked as he holstered his gun.  Hanzo glanced over at the creatures that had fallen at Jesse’s feet.

“I suppose we should call the undertaker?”  Hanzo shot back, still feeling the energy running through his veins.  He turned fully so he could look at his partner. 

Oh. Oh wow.

He wasn’t sure Jesse had ever looked so beautiful before.  His eyes still wild with the thrill of battle. His chest rising and falling showed that he was still breathing a little heavy; sweat poured down his forehead.  Hanzo couldn’t stop looking at his eyes.  They were bright and alive, looking like he was still fighting for his life.  Hanzo had never felt more attracted to someone than he did at this moment.  He reached up and grabbed Jesse to pull him down.

Hanzo could taste smoke and ash on Jesse’s lips.  From the weird things he smoked or the gun, Hanzo wasn’t sure, but he knew never wanted to stop.  Jesse moved his hands to his waist, and pulled him closer.  Could one get addicted to a person and their taste?  Hanzo was pretty sure they could. He felt addicted to Jesse, to kissing Jesse.  Somehow after battle kisses seemed better than normal kisses.  

Surrounded by dead creatures, knowing that him and Jesse just removed them from the world.  It made the kiss even better. Jesse seemed to agree, as he just pulled Hanzo closer.  Hanzo ran his hand up Jesse’s back, trying to get a better angle.  There was something about the smoke in the air that made this even better than normal.  He felt the coldness of Jesse’s metal hand brush his back, though his top.  Jesse’s flesh ruffle feathers as it found its way to tangle in Hanzo’s hair. 

A loud cough ruined the mood.  Jesse pulled away and they both looked at where the cough came from.  Standing just past the bodies were three people.  The one that had coughed had actual wings, blonde hair, and a staff.  One was a man that had darker, scaly skin and an instrument in his arms.  The third had pointed ears, most likely some sort of elf.  He had on robes of a monk and nine dots painted on his forehead.  Hanzo had to wonder what they were doing here.  Why they felt the need to ruin the mood.

“Sorry to…uh, disturb you!”  The scaly man said.  “We were wondering if you knew where Taewe was.” 

Jesse turned to them, “we were on our way there now, actually.” 

“Awesome!”  The scaly man said. “Mind if we tag along?  We’re not the biggest fighters, ya’know?” 

“We have all specialized in healing,” The winged woman added. 

“Our party made much more sense when our other partner was with us,” the monk added.  “Perhaps you know him?” 

“Zen! That’s rude!”  The winged woman scolded.  “Not all Tengu know each other!  I’m surprised you would think that.” Wait.  What?  Hanzo wanted to ask for clarification. 

“I do not think that,” the monk—Zen, said.  “I noticed he has a bright green feather on his ear. Also, the eyebrows,” he gestured to Hanzo’s face. 

“Are you, by chance, referring to a tengu named Genji?”  Hanzo asked.  His brother probably needed three healers. 

“Yeah!”  The scaly man said, “he was supposed to meet back up with us ages ago, but never showed.  We figured something happened and tracked him down.” 

“Are you his mysterious brother?”  The monk asked. 

Hanzo nodded, “That’s correct.  I am Hanzo.”  All three of the healers seemed to perk up at that. 

“My name is Angela,” the winged woman said.  “This is Zenyatta and Lúcio.”  She gestured to the monk and the scaly man.  “We are your brother’s partners.” 

“A pleasure to meet you,” Hanzo said.  “Traveling partners or something more.”  It was hard to tell with Genji.  Either way, Genji needed three people to look after him.

“Both,” Zenyatta said. 

“I am glad that you guys have been taking care of him.  He is very difficult.”  Hanzo gave a small bow to the poor souls that had been dealing with his brother.  “This is Jesse, my partner.”  Jesse waved at the trio of healers. 

“So, party of five to go save yer brother and my dad?”  Jesse asked.  There was a resounding yes from the gathered party. 

The now five member party made their way to Taewe.  The base they needed was underground, hidden under a normal house.  This was finally it.  They would get Genji and Jesse’s dad.  They had three healers; there was no way this was going to go bad. 

The five headed into a tunnel marked on another map Sombra had given Hanzo.  They were going to try sneaking into the Talon outpost.  This, of course, didn’t go as planned.  Nothing ever really did.  They were heard when Lúcio tried to sing his song that would let them have extra speed.  He didn’t notice how well the sound carried though the tunnels.

At this point, Hanzo was pretty sure someone had put a bad luck curse on him.  Other than Jesse, he’d been way too unlucky lately.  He took out his borrowed knife, no way his bow was going to go well in the tunnel, and started stabbing.  He was getting too tired for this shit.  After this mess, he was going to have to go to a curse breaker, just to be safe. 

The five of them managed to fight off those that came after them in the tunnel.  They got through to the outpost. Angela brought out a sleeping spell, sending most of the Talon soldiers to dreamland.  They started looking though rooms to find their missing family. 

Hanzo finally heard a familiar voice calling for help.  He finally found his brother.  _Finally._ This quest could end.  He approached the cell that he heard his brother calling from.

“Yes, I hear you.  You can stop yelling.”  He said, letting himself be seen by his brother.

“Hanzo?”  Genji approached the door, “Hanzo!”  He yelled seeing that it was his brother.  “I am so happy to see you!” 

“I am glad to see you, as well.”  Hanzo refused to cry.  He would not cry because he found his brother again.  He would _not_ cry because his brother was still alive.  No.  His eyes needed to listen to him.  They clearly didn’t get the memo about _not crying_.  Hanzo looked down at the lock, he started messing with it, getting it open  Once the door was unlocked, Hanzo had an armful of crying Genji.

“I thought I was going to die here!  I was afraid no one would find me.”  Genji’s feathers tickled his nose, they were going to need redyed.  The green was fading. 

“Many of us are here to rescue you,” Hanzo rubbed circles on Genji’s back.  They still had a few moments before they needed to really hurry. 

“Many of you?”  Genji asked.  “Did you _make friends_?  To save me?” 

“First off, do not sound so surprised,” Hanzo had somehow forgotten how rude his brother was. “Second, I ran into your partners.  They noticed your feather and are here helping.”

“What do you think of them?”  Genji asked.  “Aren’t  they great?” 

“I think you having three people with healing spells looking out for you is great,” He knew he should probably mention Jesse as well. 

“Now who is rude?” Genji poked him.  “We should get out of here, huh?”  He stepped away from his brother. 

“Yes.  Let’s head out and regroup.”  Hanzo led Genji out of the prison area, to where they were meeting after clearing each area of the outpost. 

Jesse was already there.  He was with an older man that Hanzo could only assume was his father. 

“Hanzo.  Hanzo,” Genji grabbed his brother’s arm and shook.  “Hanzo _who is that?_ ”  Hanzo groaned.  Yep, Genji was gonna give him so much shit.  Why did he want to save his brother again? 

“Genji, this is Jesse.”  He said, “Jesse, this is my brother.”  He hoped that they could save everything else for later. 

“Nice to meet ya,” Jesse said.  He pointed to the older man, “this here’s dad.”  He nudged his head toward Hanzo.  “That’s Hanzo and his brother.” 

“Right.  The Hanzo you wouldn’t stop talking about?”  His dad asked.  “I’ve been in the clutches of organ trading nut jobs for months, and the number one thing you talk about in the ten minutes I’ve been free is him.”  

Jesse flushed.  “Dad!  Could you not?” 

“I must,” the vampire said.  “I’m Gabriel.”  He held his hand out to Hanzo.  “Would you like horribly embarrassing stories about Jesse?”

“Ya know what, Talon can have ya,” Jesse grumbled.  “Back to the cell with ya, go on. Git.”  Jesse made a brushing motion with his hand. 

They might have still  been in a talon outpost and kind of in danger, but when the trio of healers finally found their way back to their meeting point, everyone was laughing.

 

\-------

 

They escaped from the outpost, everyone safe and sound.  They decided to get as far from town as they could, just in case someone came after them.  They set up a large camp and a watch schedule.  That way no one could attack them in their sleep. 

Hanzo was annoyed that he was assigned watch not with Jesse or Genji, but with Genji’s trio of healers.  While it would be nice to get some dirt on Genji, he wanted to talk to his brother.  If he couldn’t do that, he would have wanted to spend time with Jesse. 

He was worried, as Genji and Jesse were going to have watch together.  Hanzo had no idea what would be said, but it was probably not good for him. Genji knew a lot of stories about him.  He’d probably use them too. Hanzo would just have to deal with that in the morning.  It would be future Hanzo’s problem. He’d finish his watch shift and then get some sleep.

\---------

Hanzo was woken up by Jesse shaking him. 

“Yes my love?”  He asked, opening his eyes to look up at Jesse. The other man was kneeling beside him.  

“Yes!”  Jesse said.  His smile was bright enough to put the sun to shame. 

“Yes what?”  Hanzo asked. What in the world was Jesse talking about?

Jesse pulled out the gift that Hanzo had given him all those months ago.  “I was talking to Genji,” he started.  “He was telling me this was an eggshell, and that giving it to me was basically proposing.” 

Hanzo was going to kill Genji.  Mostly because that was pretty much true, but Genji didn’t need to mention it!

“He…is not wrong.”  It was just a _thing_ for their family.  It had been for generations, and even if he didn’t understand it, somehow giving a piece of your eggshell was just… _a thing._

“So, yes.  I accept.”  Jesse said, pulling Hanzo up for what was supposed to be a kiss.  They were both smiling way too much for it to be a proper kiss.

It was more than okay.  It was perfect.  

This was going to be the start of a new adventure.  One that Hanzo was glad to go on.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> There will most likely be some outtakes/extras after the reverse bang is done. 
> 
> Remember, go check out NayruSol42 on Tumblr!!!


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